The public is invited to tour the Sullivan Center, 118 N. Main St., and attend a community forum to discuss the pros and cons of the Rockford Public Library accepting the theater and community space as a gift from a private owner.

The open house will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. There will be entertainment and cultural programs going on in various parts of the building so guests can see the facility in use. From 7 to 8 p.m., Paul Logli, president of the Rockford Public Library Board of Trustees, will host a community forum to talk about the gift, what the library would do with the space and the impact it would have on library finances.

Library leaders are considering the donation and decided to host the open house and forum to get feedback and try to answer questions about how the site would be incorporated into what the library does.

The building is about 30,000 square feet. It houses a 282-seat theater, a second, smaller performance space, dance studios and additional rehearsal or office space. It has undergone significant improvements in recent years under the ownership of Richard Nordlof, a local businessman and downtown and arts advocate who wishes to donate the building to the library so it can be used and enjoyed by the public.

"The Board of Trustees believes that the library is a very natural steward for the Sullivan Center as a community resource," Library Executive Director Frank Novak stated in a news release. "Our commitment to excellence in programming, coupled with our numerous arts and culture partners, make RPL a good fit. However, the plan has to be aligned with community needs and financially sustainable as well."

The Rockford Public Library's main building is located about a block away from the Sullivan Center at 215 N. Wyman St. The library has five other branch locations throughout the community.

Some of the entertainment and educational programming that will be showcased at the Sullivan Center during the open house include Paper Airplane, an acoustic/vocals duo; the Aloha Hula Girls Polynesian Performance Group; and a video/lecture presentation by Pablo Korona, creator of Our City, Our Story.